May 30, 2007

Fabulous bling dresses! I'm surprised that I'm even a fan of this look because it's sooo"out in front." There's no way to assume the role of the shywallflower while rocking this style of dress. It just can't be done. You're basically walking around like a spotlight! It's a perfect choice for a party dress! And I think it looks equally chic on both the younger (Nikki Hilton, Carmen Electra) and the more "sophistcated" set (Kate Walsh, Sarah Jessica, and Cindy Crawford). The metallic mini trend doesn't doesn't age discriminate! I love it! But I want to know what you think. Do you like this trend? Do you hate it? Don't care? Would you wear it? I wanna know your style verdict.

May 29, 2007

Ok, so Tori Spelling's dress isn't all that formal, but it's still the SAME THING. Am I the only one who doesn't think that this is a good look? When otherwise tiny but still very top-heavy girls like these attempt to squeeze themselves into ensembles with minimal coverage for their "twins", it just screams "tacky" to me. Boo!

May 25, 2007

Dude looks GOOD in that men's clothing ad don't he?! That's my boySie. Male model esquire, lol! You could have knocked me over with a feather when his fiance showed me this pic (yeah, sorry ladies... he's taken). I actually have a younger brother, but he's like a second one to me. He's representing for a men's clothing store in this ad, but he actually owns his own store. And he's on my link list [Sneaker Fetish]. Check him out!

Past Top Model Contestant, Bre, speaks on what she learned from being a part of ANTM [Fashion Nette-Work]

Some of the cutest ribbon heels, EVER! And theres a wait list. So sign up now![55 Secret Street]

May 24, 2007

TOTALLY feeling this white lace mini dress trend right now. It's effortless chic at its best IMO. Perfect for summer. I want one! But after finding out the not so bargain prices of the ones pictured (Britney in Philip Lim, $396, Mischa in Juicy Couture, $328, and Kate in Ella Moss, currently SOLD OUT at $158) I think I'll look into making one. Mini dresses are the business this season! I'm loving 'em! But don't let my excitement about this trend cloud your judgement, lol! I really wanna know what you think about the trend. Do you like it? Hate it? Don't care? Would YOU wear it? I wanna know your style verdict.

Click the button below to browse and shop for some fabulous white dresses over at eDressMe!

May 22, 2007

Jaslene Gonzalez of Chicago managed to beat out all of the other girls from Top Model Cycle 8 to take the coveted title, plus a one year contract from Elite Model Management, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl, and a cover and six-page spread in Seventeen magazine.

I got to speak with Jaslene earlier, and she is one happy girl. She could most surely be the poster child for not giving up on what you really want. She spoke about how she couldn't be more proud to represent Top Model as the first Latina to win the title, how she's been in a traveling whirlwind since she won, and how long she had to keep the secret that she was the big winner of Top Model (from her family and friends). She also informed me that although there are numerous webpages claiming to be authentic Jaslene, that she does not have a myspace or an official website up yet. So if you thought that she added you as a friend, or worse, wasn't responding to you at all, know that none of those sites are hers (there are lots of fakes out there right now), but she did say that she'll have one up real soon! And she wants people to know, that when her webpage is up, you will definitely know its her.

Me: How did it feel to win it all this season after being passed over last season (Cycle 7)?

Jaslene: Oh my god! It just feels AMAZING! It's like, I feel like a whole new woman! And I feel so grateful and honored, especially since I'm the first Latina, because I embrace my culture and you know, to have this opportunity right here in my hands.. it's just the most amazing thing ever!

Me: When you weren't chosen for Cycle 7, that obviously motivated you to wanna work for it that much harder.

Jaslene: Definitely! It sure did motivate me, you know, I was just like, I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna knock on that door until they open it!

Me: You certainly did that. You mentioned being proud of your Latina culture, how does it feel to represent Latina women?

Jaslene: Oh my god! It feels wonderful you know? It brings me great honor, especially to be the first Latina to win, the recognition is amazing! My Latinos are so proud of me, the love and support that they show me, and it's not just Latinos, like every background, I'm amazed at how much they really love me and support me and everything, it's just a great feeling!

Me: Well how long had you known that you were the winner of Top Model, and did you have to keep that bit of info from your family and friends until the finale aired?

Jaslene: Yes, definitely. I had to keep that a secret for about 4 months.

Me: 4 months? I was thinking it was maybe a few weeks!

Jaslene: Yeah! It was the toughest thing EVER to keep that secret! You know how hard it is to keep secrets especially something like that?! But my family was still very supportive regardless of what the outcome would have been, they were so happy and so proud of me just for making it back onto the show.

Me: Oh ok... how far is that from the South side? That's the area where most of my Chicago relatives live.

Jaslene: Where in the south?

Me: Like off 95th St. close to Ashland Ave.

Jaslene: Oh yeah, they're South side for sure. My neighborhood is more into the city, like downtown area, north then west, more that way.

Me: So that's on the opposite end of town then. Well if I were to visit them there in the near future, where's some of the best shopping, where would you direct me?

Jaslene: Shopping? Definitely down Michigan Ave. No doubt about it! We have this beautiful long strip of designer stores, and a beautiful skyline in downtown Chicago. To me, we have the most beautiful skyline, it's so clean, the place is so mellow.. it's like a mini New York, only thing it's cleaner you know? So I would definitely point you to Michigan Ave. You would love it!

Me: Great! Well did you have plans to stay there in Chicago or are there big plans to move?

Jaslene: Due to the fact that I just signed with my agency [Elite Model Management] a couple days ago, my schedule is gonna be really busy and with all the work that I'll be getting, I'm gonna have to move to New York like as soon as next month. Which is exciting! I look forward to everything you know? This is what I've been wanting and I knew this was gonna happen. Because if I had planned to stay in Chicago, I probably wouldn't get as much work. In New York, I know, definitely it's guaranteed. I have my agency, and I'll have work, so it's all for the better you know?

Me: Ok let's get back to Top Model, out of all the girls from your season, who would you say that you got along the best with?

Jaslene: I would have to say, at first, it wasCassandra, it's just sad that she had to leave soearly in the competition. And after that, I grew closest toDionne.

Me: You mentioned just before you won, that if Natasha were named the winner, that you would pull all her hair out. Would you have tried to follow through on that if the final results had turned out in her favor?

Jaslene: (laughs...) No, no.. that was just me being stupid and silly! I was just trying to be funny. No, but I love Natasha dearly, and I would just wish her and everybody else the best.

Me: So what are you most looking forward to doing since winning America's Next Top Model?

Jaslene: I'm looking forward to being on the covers of Latina magazines, you know, I wanna break barriers as a young Latina! I wanna do so many things, I wanna walk for the top designers. It's all out there and I know it's all on me if I want it, and I'm just ready and willing to work hard for it.

Me: Are you looking forward to all the travel that's gonna come with it?

Jaslene: Yes! I mean I have so much going on right now, I just feel so lucky and so full. I'm already traveling like almost every other day!

Me: I could imagine that ever since you were named the winner, you've probably been going non-stop.

Jaslene: Non-stop, yes.

Me: What's one lesson you can say that you've learned from being a part of this competition?

Jaslene: I learned so much! I mean everthing... seriously you come out of there like a whole new person! I came out of there with a huge amount of confidence, I found my inner strength, I found my inner beauty, and I learned so much about different cultures, how the [modeling] business is, and one thing that I really, really learned was how to have an open mind. There was just so much I learned!

Me: Those are good lessons learned.

Jaslene: Definitely.

Me: Well I can't really ask you if you would do it all over again, because you did do it again and you ended up winning on your 2nd go at it.

Jaslene: Right!

Me: I think that sends a great message that if you want something bad enough to not give up on it so easily.

Jaslene: Exactly.

Me: So are you an only child?

Jaslene: No, I'm the oldest daughter. I have two younger brothers and a baby sister who is 2 years old.

Me: How do your brothers and sister feel about their big sister being America's Next Top Model?

Jaslene: (she turns very sentimental...) Wow... oh, talking about my little sister.. I haven't seen them in such a long time and I miss them so much! I'm just hearing that my little brother is so popular in school now, and my other older brother (19 years old) he thinks he's a model, because he's 6 foot something, and when he mentions I'm his sister, oh my god! Everybody brags.. people are telling him that he should be a model too, because he's tall and skinny, trust me, he's like my twin! I look just like him in that photo when I was changed into a boy... that was my brother hands down. Everybody just very proud and very happy for me.

Me: I'm glad for you too, I was certainly pulling for you [Jaslene: Thank you!] and I just wanna congratulate you again, and just tell you to keep on representing for the chicks that live "down the block in your hood!"

Here are a few screen shots from the Goddess of Dreams Ball that I attended a couple weeks ago in Las Vegas as a guest of Brizo Faucets. Included are a few scenes from the silent auction (benefitting DIFFA) and the Belinda Carlisle concert. It was a fun night!

May 18, 2007

I got to speak to Natasha earlier, and I have to be honest, I had been dreading this very interview. I was terrified of the possible language barrier with her, but come to find out, I was all anxious for nothing. She was easy to talk to and she understood everything just fine. She's just a sweet girl with a really soft voice. So check out my interview with her and find out why she thought the girls were jealous of her, a little backstory on how she and her husband met, how she feels about Jaslene winning and a Hip Candy reader's question answered about the shoes they were wearing during the final elimination!

Me: Well, hey you didn't win, but you made it to the top 2, that's something to be proud of, right?

Natasha: Yeah, that's great.

Me: So you're originally from Russia?

Natasha: Uh-huh.

Me: And english is your 2nd language. [Natasha: Right.] How long did it take you to learn english?

Natasha: Well I was studying english in my school in Russia, and you know, it was very easy. I had a teacher also, so it was very easy for me. I pretty much knew a lot of english very fluently. At the age of 15, I knew it very good at the age of 15.

Me: Ok, it's been a while, so it wasn't too hard to overcome the language barrier on the show then?

Natasha: Well, I think it was more of the cultural barrier than the language. And of course the language barrier also played it's role, you know, it was hard at the times, because no matter how good the language, it's not your first language. Even though you can make logical mistakes with your own language.

Me: How do you feel about Jaslene winning America's Next Top Model?

Natasha: Well, very, very happy that she won, I wish her the best and I wish her a great modeling career.

Me: Did you think that she was one of your toughest competitors?

Natasha: No, actually I did not see any competitors on the show because I felt like I'm very different and I have my own unique features and I have my own walk, and I did photo shoots really great and I improved a lot. I showed judges that I can learn and do better and better. But in the final two with her, we were just different and they picked her because a Latina never won before and she could relate to all Latinas in America, so that's a great thing.

Me: Well you mentioned during the competition that you thought some of the girls might have been a little jealous of you, do you still feel that way?

Natasha: No! It was a competition! It was a show, and a show is a completely different thing, you know, right now we call each other and we keep in contact. On the show it was a competition. Right now, we all have our own lives. The reason I said that, just because their criticism was not constructive when they were telling the judges why they think I don't haveTop Modelpotential. They were judging my personality, not myTop Modelpotential, that's why I said that they might be jealous, you know what I mean? Because it was not constructive.

Me: Ok. I can understand that. So were you close to anybody in the house?

Natasha: Yeah, yeah I was! You know it was really great being with all the different girls from different backgrounds in the house and they're all my friends now and we talk a lot, and it's really interesting to know what's going on with their lives now, and what they are doing, you know? Just yesterday, we were sitting and hanging out with Whitney, Diana, Jaslene and Caridee, so you know, we're still friends, it's great!

Me: Oh, ok that's fantastic that you guys are still friends. And I just wanna tell you that you seemed to really take criticism from the judges really well. You had a knack for flipping negative comments around and turning it into a postive, so I thought that was great.

Natasha: Thank you so much!

Me: Now you're married and you have a baby right?

Natasha: Yeah!

Me: There was a bit of mystery behind your marriage while you were on the show. Some of the girls even started talking and speculating about it, so did you want to speak on that and clear some things up for your fans?

Natasha: Well umm, what I can say is that there was no mystery, if they would ask me I would certainly answer. I was rooming with 2 girls, Kathleen and Cassandra, and they knew everything about my life, especially Cassandra because she was very close to me, and she stayed until the 3rd week you know so, we were very close. She knew everything about my life, I knew everything about hers. I think there was comments about all the girls here and there, but there was no mystery about my husband. I would tell them about Stuart (her husband) and about Angelina (her daughter) a lot, you know? But I think that it was more interest in the way they put it on the show?

Me: So how exactly did you and your husband meet?

Natasha: Oh! Well I don't know if it was shown on the T.V. but I was talking about it a lot! We met in Moscow and it was so romantic. We were dating for a little bit less than a year and after that, we were traveling, and he's a really, really great man to have around. He's real supportive and very caring, he loves me a lot, and I love him to death! And I was almost 20 when I got married, so I wasn't that young like they showed it on T.V.

Me: Ok. Well what were you doing before you made it onto to Top Model?

Natasha: I was with a baby, and I was in college so I had a lot of things to do, I was very, very busy.

Me: How were you chosen for the competition?

Natasha: You know, that's a long story! There's no casting calls in my city, in Dallas. But I was in the mall and they asked me to like, take a picture, and it happened to be a model search. And I was in the semi-finals of this model search. And at the same time I went to Oklahoma and Texas border where Choctaw Casino was and I tried out forAmerica's Next Top Modeland I also was a winner there. So I had to choose to go to Houston to another Top Modelcasting call that would take me, hopefully to Los Angeles, or to stay in Dallas to start a modeling career in Dallas. And I decided to go with the Top Modeland it turned out great, I ended up being a runner up, which I think is a great thing!

Me: I think you made the right choice!

Natasha: Thank you!

Me: What do you think was one of the hardest things for you in the competition?

Natasha: There was a lot of hard things and there was a lot of great things to be able to experience in our life. Thankfully we did, and I'm just very happy that I was chosen to be on the show. The hardest thing was to not be in control of your life, because you cannot do what you want to do. And of course having a good relationship with the girls, I just wanted to be close to the girls, you know?

Me: Oh ok, so what are some of your plans for the future?

Natasha: I have a lot of plans! You know, pursue modeling career and I'm just 2nd day off the show officially, I'm still doing a lot of interviews, my life is really, really busy right now. I hope it's gonna be like that in the future too so...

Me: Do you think you'll be able to juggle that with your baby and your husband?

Natasha: You know they're so supportive, like extremely supportive and proud and happy for me. My family in Florida, my mom is so happy with me, you know, and my family in Russia are really happy and proud of me. So yeah! I have support from my fans and many people, so I think that I can do it with both!

Me: That's great that you have a good support system. Well I have a question from one of my readers for you. Hip Candy reader Renata wants to know who made the black shoes that you and Jaslene were wearing right before they named the winner?

Natasha: Ok! Yeah sure, it was by Sass & Bide. Our dresses were by Sass & Bide and the shoes were by Sass & Bide also. I think it was from the new collection, the 2007 collection, but I don't know for sure because they didn't let us keep them, so I don't know for sure. Yeah but the shoes were Sass & Bide.

Me: Well that's too bad you couldn't keep them, they were cute.

Natasha: Yeah, we didn't ask, but yeah, they were very, very beautiful.

Me: Well thanks so much for talking to me Natasha and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

Yes they are! My interviews had to be re-scheduled due to a minor scheduling snafu with Natasha and Jaslene. Wait... did I just use the word "snafu"???WTH?! Is that even a word? What does it mean? Did I use it in the proper context? Whatever, just bump that. A simple momentary lapse in judgment. I'm sleepy. I won't use it again.

Anyways, check back for those last two interviews. In the meantime and in between time, I'm gonna get a nap. A long one.

May 17, 2007

I spoke to Renee earlier and surprisingly, she wasn't that much of a talker like some of the others. A little shocking coming from someone who had plenty to say while the camera's were rolling. She was a nice enough girl though... check out my interview with her below and find out how she feels about the judges thinking that she looked "old", if she made any lasting friends from her season of Top Model, how she feels about Jaslene winning it all and what her plans are for the future.

Me: You did seem genuinely shocked though when you didn't make it to the final 2. Were you surprised to be eliminated after the judges loved your version of "My life as a CoverGirl?"

Renee: I was very surprised, you know, it took me by complete surprise. I couldn't even believe it. I was still trying to comprehend it as I was walking out of panel. I was like, "Ok... wait a minute, am I leaving?? This shouldn't be!"

Me: The judges also kept commenting about you looking or photographing "old", have you had a chance to examine your photos to try to see what they were talking about?

Renee: Umm, no I really haven't. I know.. like I'm not dumb. I know that I look, and maybe I talk and I walk and I just have an older feel to me than Jaslene and Natasha. You know, I'm just more mature. I mean Natasha's a mature girl, but she looks like a little girl, and Jaslene, she's young, she hasn't really been through as much in life as I have, so I really didn't take it as an offense, I just took it as more of a compliment you know? I have wisdom behind my eyes, and I think that's a great thing for a woman to have.

Me: So in other words, you're saying that you just carried yourself in a more mature manner?

Renee: Yeah.

Me: Well I do think, during the makeover episode, that they should have left your hair longer because you look much younger with longer hair. That's just my opinion though.

Renee: Mine too!

Me: Ok, so you're from Hawaii right?

Renee: Uh-huh.

Me: Which part are you from?

Renee: I live in Maui.

Me: Are you originally from there, or did you guys move...

Renee: No I'm not, I'm originally from Michigan. But I just live there [in Hawaii], it's where I had my son, and it's where I met my husband, so when they asked me where I wanted to represent, Maui seemed like the best choice. It's where my heart is.

Me: Ok, well that makes sense. But I hear that it's really expensive there, is it?

Renee: Yes! It's very pricey in Maui, but when you're local you get the kama'aina discount which is like a discount for living there. It takes like 15% off everything so it's nice.

Me: That's not bad. Well what were you doing before Top Model?

Renee: I was planning a wedding and taking care of a baby.

Me: Oh. So how long have you been married?

Renee: Before I went ontoTop Model?

Me: Yeah.

Renee: Before I applied, I had been married 4 days.

Me: Oh wow! [Renee: Yeah..] How hard was that to leave and go do the show?

Renee: Very difficult, very, very difficult.

Me: I didn't realize that you were newly married when you made it onto the show. Ok, let's get back to Top Model. Renee, you were the girl who probably had the biggest challenge with getting along with the rest of the girls this season. You even said that you weren't there to make friends, but you were there to win the competition. Did you still feel like that toward the end, or do you regret taking that approach?

Renee: I don't really regret anything I did on Top Model, I feel like I was true to myself. That's how I feel.

Me: Well did you get close to any of the girls in the house, like maybe there was something that we didn't see?

Renee: I mean, I got close to a lot of the girls in the house, but I didn't really get like that deep bonding, like some girls made just like absolute best friends in the house, and they'll probably be buddies for life. Me.. I don't know. I already have friends.

Me: So you don't think you'll be staying in touch with any of the girls from your season?

Renee: No, I'll probably stay in touch with quite a few of them, it's just that I didn't feel like this dire need to make a bunch of friends with a bunch of girls that I didn't know. In life, I tried to look at it like this, if I met you outside ofTop Model, would you be my friend? And I would have to say with most of the girls, like probably not. You know, some of them, definitely, but then some of the others, I'd probably be like, I wouldn't even talk to you.

Me: What are your feelings on Jaslene being named the winner of Top Model?

Renee: You know what? If it wasn't me, I'm very, very happy that it's her.

Me: The reason I asked is because I know you told Natasha to "win it for the mother's" or something like that right after you were eliminated.

Renee: Yeah... I would have loved for Natasha to win it for the mom's, I just think that Jaslene wanted it more. Jaslene wanted it almost as bad as I did. So it's just good to see somebody else get it that really wanted it.

Me: Even though you didn't win, you still came really close. Do you feel it was worth it being on the show?

Renee: Definitely, you know, the exposure is good, and the experience, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know, so I feel like it was great.

Me: What's one thing you think you've learned from being on the show?

Renee: I would honestly say that outside of modeling, and just more on a personal basis, I've learned not to let what other people think about you dictate how and who you are.

Me: Oh, ok. That is important. So, what's next for you? What are some of your plans?

Renee: I'm moving to L. A. in a couple weeks, I'm gonna get an acting coach, a modeling agent and an acting manager hopefully. I'm just really gonna push hard in the film industry. I absolutely enjoy being in front of the camera and acting so...

Me: Well you were pretty natural in your commercial shoot, "My life as a CoverGirl".

Renee: Oh, thank you very much!

Me: Well thanks so much for talking to me Renee, and I wish you the best of luck on your move to L. A.

Ms."Cha-Cha Diva" won the coveted title for Cycle 8! And I must say, she was my pick out of the 3. So... YAY! (And completely off topic: but BOO! On Melinda Doolittle not making the FINAL 2 on AMERICAN IDOL!!!BOO America! Ok... back to Top Model business..) I'll be interviewing all 3 of the girls tomorrow (Renee, Natasha and Top Model winner Jaslene) so bear with me, won't you? That's some major interviewing for one day, but I'll be working hard to get them posted up as soon as I can! If you have questions for them, hit me up in the comments, and I'll try to work 'em in!

May 15, 2007

Well we're into the home stretch with Top Model Cycle 8! Woo-hoo! Only 3 girls left! And the winner will be named THIS WEEK, and I can't wait for Cycle 8 to come to a close to find out who the winner is! I spoke with Dionne last Friday after she was eliminated and she was probably one of the bubbliest personalities I've interviewed from this season so far! I liked her. She was one of my favorites from the very beginning. And she's crazy in love with her daughter. Her voice lit way up the moment I mentioned her! So check out my interview with her below and find out why she didn't tell Tyra that she had the most potential out of all the girls left, what her plans are for the future and why she won't name who she'd like to see win "America's Next Top Model".

Me: Did you think that you would be leaving that week? Because when I was watching the episode you seemed a little angry and upset when Tyra didn't call your name.

Dionne: I was angry and upset, because I was in the bottom two ONCE AGAIN. And you know, it just always sucks to be in the bottom two because you never know what's gonna happen. I was just very disappointed at that point.

Me: Yeah, I would have liked to see you go a little further, myself.

Dionne: I would have too! I wanted to so badly!

Me: Well Tyra asked the 4 of you who you thought had the most and the least potential in the competition, do you think that it hurt your chances any when you didn't name yourself as someone with the most potential?Dionne: Yes, I do think that it did hinder me from winning, but at the time it was a lack of communication because when she asked me that question, she asked, "Dionne, who do you think has the most potential out of the girls?" And I'm standing in front of the girls, so I'm thinking that she's asking about the girls standing behind me. So I'm like, ok, I think Jaslene has the most potential, but when I find out I'm gonna be in the bottom two, Tyra was like, "Dionne, you were the only person who didn't say yourself as someone who has the most potential in this competition." And I was like, "Oh my God!" you know, I just didn't realize that that is what she was asking me, so I look at it as a lack of communication.

Me: It was a bit of trick question.

Dionne: Yeah...

Me: So do you think maybe that the fact that you went first kind of affected how you answered that question?

Dionne: No, I don't think it was the fact that I went first, I think it was like I said before, it was really just a lack of communication.

Me: Oh ok. Well you're from Montgomery, Alabama right?

Dionne: Yes, correct.

Me: What were you doing before Top Model came calling?

Dionne: Before I made it onto Top Model, I was actually going to school at Alabama State University studying dentistry, and I was working at the mall at J. C. Penney doing my thing there and just being a mom!

Me: Ok, so you were pretty busy before.

Dionne: Yes, so you know, when I made it onto Top Model, it was pretty easy for me to wake up in the mornings like we did, because I was already doing that. I would wake up at 4 AM to get to work for 5.

Me: How were you selected for the show?

Dionne: I went to the auditions in my hometown, then they called me to come to Atlanta for the callbacks, and I met with casting directors there, they picked me to go through, and then they called back again to tell me that they wanted me to come to L.A. for the semi-finals. I think they called back like 34 girls to come out to Los Angeles, but then they chopped that number down to probably like 20, and from the 20 they cut it down again to the final 13. So when I went in for my first meeting with panel, I said all kinds of crazy things about my hair, you know, that I used #1B/30, you know what I mean? So I think that that was something that they liked about me. I just told the truth, and in my mind I'm just letting them know who I am, and I think they really liked that.

Me: You were just keeping it real.

Dionne: Mmm-hmm.

Me: You also spoke a lot about your daughter, was it difficult to leave her to go and do the show?

Dionne: Of course! I actually ended up missing my daughters 2nd birthday, and I was just heartbroken behind that, but I tried not to show that on the show. I just kept it inside, you know, trying to be professional. And I talked to her on her birthday, but it was hard, it was extremely hard. The only thing that I could do was just not think about her, because if I thought about her too much, then I think that would have hindered my chances of going as far as I did.

Me: You think it would have really affected your performance?

Dionne: Yes.

Me: Well does your daughter even realize that her mommy is a model now?

Dionne: Oh wow. Let me tell you! When I'm at home with her, she goes into my closet, she takes out my stilettos and she's just walking around the house, you oughtta see her! It is so cute and so funny! She watches the show too, she knows Top Model, and when she's watching and she sees me on TV, she goes, "That's mommy! Look mommy, that's you!" And I'm like, yeah, that's me! You really should have heard her when she saw herself on television, it was so funny.

Me: Do you think she's gonna want to be a model too?

Dionne: Well, you know, I think I'm going to start her in gymnastics, I think she would like that.

Me: You guys had an Australian story-telling dance challenge and you seemed a little irritated at first when you found out that you would have to come up with your own dance. But then when it was your turn to tell your story, I thought you pulled it off beautifully. Your story was really easy to follow, and I think that you really inspired people when you talked about your mom and what happened with her. So how'd you turn that around? Because you didn't seem like you wanted to deal with it at first.

Dionne: You know what? That's just me. I can NOT wanna do something, but I know if it can benefit me, I'll do it anyway and just make it seem like I really wanted to do it, with a smile on my face and everything! Sometimes I don't wanna make myself look bad. Even though I may not wanna do it. At the beginning, I was like, "What the hell? I don't want to be out here in the wilderness wearing a tube top and flip-flops! I don't wanna do it!" But you know, like I said, it benefitted me, so I went ahead and did it anyway because I'm not a quitter, I'm not gonna quit just because I don't want to do something, I'll do it anyway.

Me: Well I really think that you did a great job on that challenge.

Dionne: Thank you very much!

Me: Ok, the judges also kept telling you that you were looking "mean" in all your photos. What do you think about that? Have you had a chance to go back and really examine all your photos to kind of try and see what they were talking about?

Dionne: Let me tell you something! When I look back at ALL of my photos, I have NOT seen a mean face yet. I haven't seen it! But you know what, I do agree with them when they told me that I had a "scowling" look on my face, but that's just a natural look for me, and I've been told that all my life. I can't really change that until you give me a reason to change it. In my first photo shoot, I don't look "scowling" at all in that photo. It was just kinda crazy, but I've learned to correct that now. It's something as simple as raising a muscle in your face like raising my eyebrows just a tad bit, that made a complete difference. And now I understand what they were saying. But in my photos, I didn't see a scowling look at all.

Me: I think you took some really nice photos.

Dionne: Thank you!

Me: And congratulations on the magazine spread in US WEEKLY.

Dionne: Oh, did you see it?!

Me: I did! I actually picked it up at the airport to read the Ricki Lake story, and I had no idea that you and Jaslene, Renee and Natasha were even in the same issue, so I was pleasantly surprised to see you guys in there under STAR STYLE.

Dionne: (laughing) Well, you know I haven't even seen it yet!

Me: You guys all look great!

Dionne: Oh really?!

Me: Yes.

Dionne: Now you have me all excited! I'm gonna go and find that magazine!

Me: The US WEEKLY magazine spread was showcasing "Hot Summer Dresses" but I saw that you stated in the article that you're more of a "jeans and t-shirt kinda girl."

Dionne: I am! I love to wear skinny jeans and just a tank top! Now, I don't really do dresses at all. I'll wear a dress occasionally, but I love my jeans and my short shorts, that's me.

Me: That's it?

Dionne: That's it! And give me a cute stiletto, like if I'm going out to a club, but when I'm going to school? I'm putting on tennis shoes and a pair of cute shorts. Because at my school, there are lots of hills that you have to walk up and down and I'm not trying to walk up and down any hills in stilettos!

Me: Can't say that I don't agree with you there. The US WEEKLY article also said that you were a "Flavor of Love" fan.

Dionne: Yes! That's me! I love "Flavor of Love" and "New York" she is so crazy! And I love Schatar too (Hottie) they are so, so funny! I love 'em both!

Me: So did you watch, "I Love New York" too?

Dionne: Yes, I did watch "I Love New York" and I thought it was crazy funny! Chance tripped me out the most! That little part where he would always say, "I'll cut your ass up!" Oh my god! I would fall out in tears laughing because it was so funny!

Me: He did keep the show going! Ok, Dionne on Top Model, there are 3 girls left. Who is your personal pick to win the top prize?

Dionne: Well I don't have a personal pick on who I want to win, I would just say, may the best model win because you never know who is actually going to win, so whoever it is, I'm all for it! I'm for all three of them anyway! I'm just really excited to see who is actually going to win.

Me: You're so diplomatic, I love that! So what's next on your agenda?

Dionne: I'll probably move to New York, I don't know when, but I really want to go to New York because I've never been there before, and I've had professionals tell me that I would do very well in New York, so I think I'm gonna take a crack at it and see how it turns out! But I'm definitely gonna continue to pursue modeling.

Me: Ok, I think that you'd do well in New York too, and I also think you'll love it!

Dionne: Yeah, I think so too! I think it'll be a good experience for me!

Me: Well thanks so much for talking to me Dionne!

Dionne: Oh, you're so welcome!

Me: You were fun to talk to! And I just wish you much success in your modeling in the future!